Creel



Dec. 20, 1932. F H, MARTiN 1,891,432

CREEL Filed Jan. 8, 1929 Patented Dec. 20, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FAY H. MARTIN, OF WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO WHITIN MACHINE WORKS, 0F WHITINSVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, A COBIORA- i TION OI MASSACHUSETTS CBEEIi Application filed January 8, 1929. Serial No. 331,044.

The invention comprises various features applicable in the case of creels on the order of those which are employed in various manufacturing processes for supporting, in convenient relations, for the paying-out of the material wound thereon, bobbins, spools, or-

the like, loaded with supplies of the rovings, yarns, and the like, which are to be operated upon.

7 One portion of the invention has relation to creels of the class in which the supply-bobbins, spools, or other wound masses, are supported in place, conveniently for the delivery of their contents, upon bobbin-supporting structural elements extending longitudinally of a machine with which the creel is associated. This portion of the invention resides in a creel having the essential longitudinallyextending bobbin-sup porting elements thereof of shell-like curvilinear cross-section, preferably constituted bytubes. It includes, further, a creel-frame construction having the said shell-like elements provided with steps for the feet or pintles of bobbin-supporting skewers or spindles, and with skewertip retainers by which the skewers or spindles and the bobbins with which they are associated are maintained in upright positions suitable for paying out from the bobbins the material carried thereby. V

Other portions of the invention have relation to holders for the said steps, and to skewer-tip retainers. These portions of the invention reside in step-holders and skewertip retainers embodying the novel character istic features.

The features of the invention are illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in-

which,

Fig. 1 shows in vertical section'two rails of a creel, and in elevation a bobbin carrying a load of roving. and illustrates the features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a portion of the length of one of the rails of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the said portion.

Fig. 4 is a view in cross-section on line 4, 4, of Fig. 2.

Figs. 5, 6, 7, are respectively a side elevation, a front" elevation, and a top or plan.

view of one of the step-holders." h

Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively a side elevation and a plan view of a step. s

Fig. 10 shows separately a skewer-tip re: tainer like those of Figs. 1 to 4. j

The features of the invention-are capable ofemployment in-creels in general. Theywill be described with reference, more particularly, to employment in a roving-bobbin creel, such, for instance, as one fora rovi'ng-- frame, a splnnlng-mule, or a spinning-frame,

as the case maybe.

' Inasmuch as a creelemployed in connection with one of the named machines is of mounted in connection with such elements,

the drawing has been restricted to short portions of the length of two rails l, 1', and to the adjunctive features in connection with such portions; This extent of illustration will'sufiice for making clear the disclosure of the features and principles, of the invention which follows later herein. The said two rails 1, 1, are supposed to be ones which are employed at intermediate heights in' a creel.

In the drawing,-each of the rails 1, 1, is equipped with a series of step-holdersQ, 2, and aseries of steps 3, 3, one thereof mounted in connection with each step-holder; and with a series of tip-retainers 4, 4. The steps 3, 3, may be composed of any'material suitable for the purposes involved, for instance porcelain. The step-holders 2, 2, that are shown in the drawing as holding'the steps inplace in connection with the rails, and sup porting the steps vertically, are composed of suitable material, usually 'rnetal. They are cup-shaped, so as to enable them to contain t 66 considerablelength between one end thereof V v gaging portions of the tip-retainers 4, 4, that are carried by a rail 1 project from one side of such rail, and in such relations to the cooperating steps below them that in the case of a bobbin-skewer 5 having its feet or pintle stepped in one of the said steps at the lower level andits tip, above the upper end of the bobbin 6 loaded with roving 7 that is mounted upon said bobbin-skewer, extending up alongside such side of the rail in question, suchtip may be encircled by one of the said tip-retainers, whereby the said bobbin-skewer and the bobbin mounted thereon are support ed in upright position. p

The tip-retainer 4 shown in Fig. 1 in con- ,nection. with ,the lower rail will serve in practice to confinethe tip of a bobbin-skewer that is stepped below such rail in a step carried by a still lower rail (or other support),

not shown; the step shown in connection with the upper rail will serveto support the foot.

or ,pintle of'a bobbin-skewer that is restrained at its tip by a tip-retainer. carried by a higher rail (or other support), not shown. number of 'rowsor banks,one above another, of supply-bobbinsprovided for in the construction of a creel varies in practice, and accordingly the number of rails, d sposed one above another, in a creel embodying the features of'the invention, varies in practice. Every rail of a creel except the bottom rail thereof is equipped .with a tip-retainer disposed above a step located below'such rail, so that such tip-retainer may encircle the tip of a bobbin-carrying skewer stepped in such step, while keeping such skewer and the associated bobbin upright. ,v

Heretofore in: general practice the longitudinally-extending bobbin-sustaining. ele-' ments of aroving creel have consisted of boards or of metal plates. Beams sometimes have been employed. As indicated at the outset herein, one portion of the present invention consists in a roving-ereelconstruction characterized by longitudinally-extending bobbin-sustaining shell-like elements of curvilinear cross-section. The drawing shows tubular rails 1, 1, composed of tubing having bobbin-skewer steps mounted at the upper side ,of the shell or wall thereof, with tip-retainers applied so as to project horizontally from the vertically curved surface at one side of said shell or wall.f

The tubing is of suitable dimensions (diameter, thicknessof shell or wall,) to give the requisite strengtlnas well as to give sufiicient stiffness to prevent sagging-of the rails between'supports under the weight o-fthe rails themselves and the superadded weight of the loads carriedin practice ,etc.j Railsmade of tubing have variousadvantages over boards, wooden beams, flanged and otherjplates, and other forms of the said longitudinally-extendingibobbin-sustaining elements; '.'Ihey are lighter th an the. boards or plates heretofore- The free from the liability to warping or checking that is experienced in the case of wood. Lint or fluff and waste do not accumulate upon cylindrical rails to the same extentas upon fiattopped boards, plates, and wooden beams. Cylindrical rails are very easily cleaned. Many of 'theadvantages that are incident to the use of cylindrical tubes may be attained through the employment of semi-cylindrical and the like trough-shaped rails applied with the convex sides thereof uppermost, which I regard as within the scope of my invention, in, the broaderphase of the latter.

The mode of application of steps in connectionwith rails such as have been described as embodying the first portion of the invention may vary inpractice. As a second portion of the invention, I mount the steps within holes in the tops of the rails in such manner that the steps shall be contained wholly, or almost so, within the enclosure of the shellsor walls of the hollow rails, and by reason thereofshall be thereby enclosed and protected.

from dust, flyings or droppings, and from blows or the like tending to injure. or displace- The steps may be combined dithe same. rectly with the rails, without the interventionof step-holders, but I find it advantageous to employ these latter, to which, as another portion of the invent-ion, I give characteristic features bymeans of which they are adapted for such employment. Having reference, now, to the step holders and steps .Tlie cup-shaped step-holders 2, 2, seated as aforesaid in holes in the tops of therails 1, 1.,have around their open-mouthed tops outturned flanges 21, 21, which extend outward over the margins of the said holes, and rest upon such margins as indicated in the drawing, to afiord vertical support to the step-holders, and steps, and to close the said holes around the steps and step-holders. To enable the flange of a step-holder to lie flatwise against the margin of a hole in a rail of.

curvilinear cross-seetion, around they entire circuit of such hole, the top of the step-holder, and the flange. outstanding therefrom, are shaped to conform vertically with said margin. Thus, the said top and flange are formed With convex rises at the sides as in Figs. and 5, corresponding with the convexity of the top of a rail, and with dips at front and rear, as in Figs. 2 and 6,.c0rresponding with the depression of the said margin at front and rear. In this instance the steps and step-holders are circular in horizontal cross-section, although the cross-sectional shape may be varied if found desirable, and in order to conform to the circular shape of the step-holders the holes in the tube are circular, and consequently the flange of a step-holder is given concave dips at front and rear to correspond with the form of the holemargin at front and rear. As an advantageous feature of construction, to facilitate insertion of a step into a step-holder, and'removal therefrom, the step-holder preferably tapers interiorly slightly from top to bottom, as in different views of the drawing, and the step is formed with a corresponding taper. At 22, Figs. 1 and 7, is a hole that is made through the bot-tom of a. step-holder, to provide for the application of a suitable tool to eject a step from its seatin the stepholder. At 221 is a hole in the bottom of the tubular rail, through which such tool may be extended upward to effect such ejection after the stepholder and contained step have been fastened in place in the rail. The step-holders are shown provided with tangs or tongues 23, 23, at opposite sides thereof, formed by making U-shaped incisions through the shell of a stepholder; The said tangs are permitted to remain in the plane of the metal, as in Figs. 5 and 7 and in full lines in Fig. 6, until. after the step-holders have been inserted into the holes in the tubular rail, so as to facilitate introduction of a step-holder into the hole in which it is to be mounted. After insertion of the step-holder, it is secured in place in a rail by turning the tongues outward, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 6, into position to engage with the inner surface of the wall or shell of the rail as in Figs. 2,3, 4, to ensure against accidental dislodgement of a step-holder, as in wiping lint from the rail, or otherwise. f

In the drawing, the top of a step occupying a step-holder is, as is preferable in practice, almost flush with the outturned flange of the step-holder, and inasmuch as the said flange fits flatwise and snugly upon the convex upper surface of the cylindrical tubular rail to which it is applied, there exists ,very little in the way of projections or depressions to accumulate or detain lint and the like. In virtue of the features which have just been set forth, the step-holders and steps are mainly contained within the tubular rails 1, 1, and are enclosed by the latter so as to be shielded against blows and resulting injury, and againstdislodgement. by blows or through being acted upon in cleaning operations.

Having reference, now, to the improved tip-retaining means by which the tips or upper ends of thebobbin-carrying skewers, stepped upon the'skewer-steps just described,

are combined so as to keep in the desired upright'positions the said skewers and the bobbins that are mounted thereon It is very desirable that the operations involved in mountinga bobbin in a creel should be simple and shouldbe capable of being performed as conveniently and as quickly as possible. It is desirable, also, that it should be possible for an attendant to mount a bobbin in a creel through the employment of one hand only. The tip-retainers 4,4, of the invention have been designed with the object in View of serving these ends, and withthe further objective of providing a type of tipretainer adapted for convenient and secure application and attachment to tubular rails such as those shown in the drawing. The said tip-retainers '4, 4, comprise wires of U or staple-form, which are combined with the tubular rails l, 1, of the creel with the bend of theU projecting outward from the surface 2 of the rail to whichsuch wire is applied. The bend stands out from the said surface,

and the two legs of the U are spaced widely apart, these two factors serving to provide an eye proportioned properly to contain a skewer-tip, as well as to permit suflicientplay and free turning of the tip within such eye; By reason of the wide spacing of the said legs apart horizontally from each other between the points where the legs of the U intersect the surface of the rail, no obstruction is presented in theca-se of a skewer-tip contacting with the convex surface of the lower portion of the rail and pushed upward upon such surface endwise into the eye. This operation admits of being performed quickly. The curved surface of'the rail guides the skewertip' into the inner portionof the eye, so that,

provided the said tip has'been-alined with v the opening of the eye, and that lateral deviation from alinement with said opening is avoided, the introduction ofthe tip into the eye takes, place'rea'dily': -The operation of mounting an associated bobbin and skewer in place in a creel is capableofbeing performed by oneghand holding the associated bobbin and skewer, without the assistance of the other hand, by operations involving placing the tip against the convex surface of a'i'ail below a tip-retainer, sliding thetip upward over said surface into'the opening of the tip-retainer, anddropping. the foot of the skewer into theproperly related step provided below, 7 v v The construction of the tip-retainer may vary somewhat in practice. In the case of the illustrated tip-retainer the, latter'hasi one long leg and one short leg. ;The long leg extends-horizontally, diametrically across the tubular rail, such leg occupying holes in the shell or wall of the rail at opposite sides of the-latter and being madefast in place by riveting at its extremity. The portion of such extremity whichoccupies the correfspo'ndingfhole inthe said shell 'or wall-is reduced in diameter to produce a shoulder 41 which, through engagement with the inat which the eye is located, but in this in stance extends only a short distance within the tubular rail. The engagement of the two legs of the tip-retainer within holes in the shell or wall of'the tubular rail at points separated from each other prevents the tipretainer from turning so as to displace the e e. t

The principles and advantages of the tipretainer may be utilized through application of the tip-retainer to creel-rails of other kinds and forms.

As a material advantage of a creel-rail that is cylindrical in cross-section, as in the case of the creel-rails that are shown in the drawing, it is to be noted that even if a skewer-tip should strike against the under side of the rail in the performance of skewering, it will deflect upwardly alongside the creel-rail without being arrested as it would be if carried up against the underside'of a plate, rectangular beam, or other element of the like class. I

WVhat is claimed as the invention is 1. A. creel construction characterized by longitudinally-extending bobbin-sustaining elements consisting oftubular rails composed of tubing having combined therewith bobbinskewer steps mounted in openings in the upper side of the shell or wall thereof, with skewer-tip retainers projecting from the vertically-curved surface of the shellor wall.

? 2; In a creel, the combination comprising a longitudinally-extending rail of shell-like curvilinear cross-section having step-contain ing holes at intervals in its upper convexity,

and, step-holders occupying such holes, en

closed and protected within the rail.

In acreel, the combination comprising a longitudinally-extending rail of curvilinear cross-section having step-containing holes at, intervals inits upper convexity, and step-i a longitudinally-extending rail of curvilinear cross-section having step containing circular holes at intervals in its upper convexity, and step-holders circular in cross-section occupying such holes having the tops thereof conformed closely around the respective circular holes to the curvilinear external contour of the rail by means of lateral convex rises and front and rear dips, so as to avoid lint-detaining projections and obstructions to cleaning operations.

5. In a creel, the combination comprising a longitudinally-extending rail of curvilinear cross-section having step-containing circular holes at intervals in its upper convexity, and step-holders circular in cross-section occupying such holes having the tops thereof conformed closely around the respective circular holes to the curvilinear external contour'of the rail by means of lateral convex rises and front and rear dips, so as to avoid lint-detaining projections and obstructions to cleaning operations, with the top of a step-holder furnished with an outturned flange overlying the margin of the-holeoccupied by the stepholder. i i

'6. In a creel, the combination with a creelrail, of a tip-guide constituted by a U-shaped member with the bend thereof projecting from the creel-rail and with the surface of said rail adapted to constitute a guide for deflecting a skewer-tipinto the opening of the U.

7. In a creel, the combination with a creelrail, of a tip-guide, constituted by a U-shaped member with the bend thereof projecting from the surface of the creel-rail, and with the legs of the Uspaced apart so that the surface of the rail will guide askewer-tip into the opening of the U when such'skewer-tip is slid upward over said surface.

8. In a creel, the combination with a creelrail of curvilinear cross-section, of a tipguide, constituted by a U-shaped member with the bend ,thereof projecting from the vertically curved surface of the creel-rail, and with the legs of the U spacedapart so that the surface. 10f the rail will guide a skewer-tip into the opening of the U, when the said tip is slid upward over the said vertically curved surface. v

9. In a creel, the combination witha tubular creelrrail, of a tip-retainer comprising a Wire extending diametrically across therail, said wire of U shape with its legs occupying holes in the shell or wall of the rail, and with the bend of the U projecting from the surface of the rail.

10. In a creel, the combination with a tubular creel-rail, of a tip-retainer comprising a wire extending diametrically across the rail, said wire of U.-shape, with its legs occupying holes in the shell or wall of the rail, and with the bend of the U projecting from the surface of the rail, with the legs of the U spaced apart horizontally at the said surface. I

11. In a creel, the combination with a longitudinally-extending rail, of a skewer-tip retainer of U -shape, the bend of which projects from one side of the rail for the purposes of a skewer-tip-retaining eye, with one leg extended through the rail and riveted to fasten the retainer in the rail, and with the other leg engaged with the rail at a distance horizontally from the first leg makingthe included portion of the rail-side a substantial part of the said eye.

12. In a creel, the combination comprising a longitudinally-extending bobbin-supporting rail of shell-like curvilinear cross-section having step-containing holes at intervals in its upper convexity, and steps occupying such holes, enclosed and protected within the shell.

13. A creel construction characterized by longitudinally-extending bobbin-sustaining elements consisting of tubular rails composed of tubing of curvilinear cross-section having combined therewith bobbin-skewer steps and skewer-tip-retainers.

FAY H. MARTIN. V 

